The Sony PlayStation 5 released in November, and stores have pretty much been sold out ever since.
Rather than turn to the overpriced wasteland that is the resale market, we’re hoping to give you what you need to avoid paying wayyyyy too much for this year’s hottest buy — and to know how to keep up with restocks.
Make sure you’re signed in to all these online stores and have your payment info up to date and ready to go.
In the meantime:
Buying in store isn’t really an option — keep tabs online.
Stores know that PlayStation 5 is going to draw a crowd, so during this COVID-19 era, many retailers aren’t selling the console in stores but are requiring people to buy them online and pick up in store.
There’s no rhyme or reason to the restock schedule, so you’ll want to periodically check these websites:
- Best Buy: PS5 Console / PS5 Digital Edition
- Amazon: PS5 Console / PS5 Digital Edition
- GameStop: PS5 Console / PS5 Digital Edition
- Target: PS5 Console / PS5 Digital Edition
- Walmart: PS5 Console / PS5 Digital Edition
Set up alerts on PlayStation social media accounts to know when consoles are back in stock.
Twitter, in particular, seems to be the most up-to-the-minute social network when it comes to PlayStation 5 restocks.
Twitter lets you sign up for text alerts for certain accounts. Once you follow an account, you can click the bell icon to get alerts sent to your phone. Here are some of the best ones:
Look for PS5 bundles; those don’t sell out as quickly.
When the PlayStation 5 released in mid-November, both the PS5 and the Digital Edition consoles sold out quickly.
What didn’t sell out as quickly were some stores’ specialty bundles of consoles with games or hardware. These are more expensive (typically $600 – $1,000), but your chances of actually checking out with a console seem to be better.
While you’re waiting for restocking, use gift card deals to create your own discount.
Whether you’re preparing for stores to restock the PS5 in the near-term, or you need some kind of holiday gift in lieu of the elusive PS5, discounted gift cards are a great way to create your own sale on PlayStation 5.
- 10% off all purchases (including Target gift cards) for Target Circle members, in store and online Dec. 5 – 6
- 8.7% off PlayStation gift cards at Raise.com
- 5.5% off GameStop gift cards at Raise.com
- 2% cash back on Amazon gift cards when you pay with a debit card
DON’T buy from resale sites; it’ll cost you more than double the retail price.
Listen, unless you’re absolutely desperate, in one of those Jingle All The Way-type situations, avoid the temptation to buy the PlayStation 5 from resale sites.
Avoid sites like eBay and StockX; early birds and “scalper bots” snatched up PlayStation 5 consoles and, anticipating the shortage, are reselling the PS5 Digital Edition on those marketplaces for more than $930 (reg $399).
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